Newsletter

Amnesty International USA Group 48

1.15
Shadowrave Stock.Xchng

1 DRC: Groupe Forrest

International, Compensate
victims of forced evictions
2 CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC: New Amnesty
International Report and
Action to Demand
Accountability for War
Crimes in the Central
African Republic
4 Oregon Is One Of 26
States That Do Not Use
Death Penalty

5 2014: A year without hope?

7 CHINA: Urgent Action Female Activist Could Face
Life Imprisonment
AIUSA-Group 48
http://aipdx.org
503-227-1878
Next Meeting:
Friday January 9th
First Unitarian Church
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7:00pm informal gathering
7:30pm meeting starts

DRC: Groupe Forrest International, Compensate

victims of forced evictions

By Terrie Rodello, AIUSA Central Africa Action Network Coordinator

On 24 and 25 November 2009 police

nestyusa.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.
id=1839&ea.campaign.id=34026&ea.
sent bulldozers into the village and directed those operating the bulldozers to tracking.id=MessagingCategory_Bus
inessandHumanRights~MessagingC
demolish the homes and businesses of
ategory_InternationalJustice~Region_
hundreds of people. The village is next
to the Luiswishi mine which, at the time, Africa~Country_DemocraticRepubliwas operated by a subsidiary of Groupe cofCongo
Forrest International called Entreprise
Your Message
Gnrale Malta Forrest (EGMF). The
Five years after hundreds of residents
bulldozers used in the demolitions
in the village of Kawama, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, were forcibly
belonged to EGMF and were operated
evicted; they are still waiting for comby its drivers.
pensation.

Action

NewsLetter Designed
By Michelle Whitlock
MichelleWhitlock.com

Sign the AIUSA online petition and

call on Groupe Forrest International
to provide the residents of Kawama
with compensation. http://act.am-

On the 24th and 25th of November

2009, police sent bulldozers into the
village and directed those operating
the bulldozers to demolish the homes

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 2

and businesses of hundreds of people. The village is next to

the Luiswishi mine which, at the time, was operated by a
subsidiary of Groupe Forrest International called Entreprise
Gnrale Malta Forrest (EGMF). The bulldozers used in the
demolitions belonged to EGMF and were operated by its
drivers.
Groupe Forrest International has repeatedly denied that the
homes and businesses of villagers were demolished. However,
confronted with evidence gathered by Amnesty International
the company can no longer deny the truth. When presented
with Amnesty Internationals evidence recently, it continued

to deny all responsibility for the events at Kawama, blaming unilateral police action. However, confronted with this
overwhelming evidence, the company must no longer deny
the truth.
Now that the truth is out, Amnesty International is calling
on Groupe Forrest International to pay compensation to the
people of Kawama for their losses. Forrest bulldozers destroyed their homes.
Forrest lies denied them justice. Paying compensation to
those who have spent five years struggling to rebuild is the
least this multinational can do.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: New Amnesty International Report and Action to

Demand Accountability for War Crimes in the Central African Republic
By Terrie Rodello, AIUSA Central Africa Action Network Coordinator
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in which calls on Thomas Yayi Boni, the President of Benin,

where Djotodia is in exile, to ensure that Djotodia is investigated for his role in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In addition to taking the online action, please consider
mailing a letter to the President of Benin. Please adapt the
following sample letter as you see fit. Please also copy of the
Boni letter to His Excellency Cyrille S. Oguin, Ambassador of
Benin to the United States. Those addresses are below.
Sample Letter

As you know, the Central African Republic (CAR) has

experienced a human rights crisis since March 2013 when

the Slka armed coalition seized power and installed Michel
Djotodia as President. The legacy of Djotodias ten months
rule saw the complete breakdown of law and order, the rise of
retaliatory attacks on civilians and human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, torture, rape of women and
young girls, pillaging and the recruitment of child soldiers.
The human rights abuses and humanitarian crisis continue to
this day despite the presence of UN international peacekeeping forces.
In conjunction with the U.S./Africa Leadership Conference which took place in Washington, DC this past August,
Amnesty International created an action you can participate

His Excellency Cyrille S. Oguin

Ambassador to the United States
The Embassy of the Republic of Benin
2124 Kalorama Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Son Excellence
Monsieur Boni Yayi
Prsident de la Rpublique du Bnin
Palais Presidentiel
Cotonou, Rpublique du Bnin
Re: Accountability for War Crimes in the Central African
Republic
Your Excellency,
As you know, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been
experiencing a human rights crisis and the enflaming of
ethno-religious tension since March 2013 when the Slka

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 3

armed coalition seized the capital and installed Michel Djotodia as President. The legacy of Djotodias ten months in power
contributed to the breakdown of law and order and the rise of
retaliatory attacks on civilians. Slka human rights violations
under his rule include war crimes and crimes against humanity such as extrajudicial executions, torture, rape of women
and girls, pillaging and recruitment of child soldiers.
Despite Djotodias resignation, he remains in close involvement with Slka commanders in the CAR. The United States
President has issued an Executive Order imposing sanctions
on Djotodia along with other CAR leaders suspected of committing crimes under international law. Amnesty International (AI) has called for an investigation into Djotodias role in
war crimes and crimes against humanity and urges prosecution if there is sufficient evident to bring a case against him.
For further information about the crimes committed during
Djotodias rule, please see the recent AI report Central African Republic: Time for Accountability.

Cc: His Excellency Cyrille S. Oguin, Ambassador of The

Republic of Benin to the United States
--------Please see below Amnesty Internationals latest public statement and report about Amnestys concerns regarding the
ongoing violence and impunity in the CAR. The report is
entitled Central Africa New Republic: Impunity Is Fuelling
Violence.
Please also share this with other friends and colleagues of
yours who may have an interest in or involvement with the
CAR.
Statement
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/car-failure-effectivelyinvestigate-war-crimes-fuels-further-atrocities-andfear-2014-12-11
Full Report
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR19/011/2014/
en/093fa89d-8aec-4634-a2ca-5bf6183f1bdf/afr190112014en.
pdf

Since leaving the CAR, Djotodia has received safe haven in

Benin while the people of the CAR continue to suffer from
massive displacement of the population, food insecurity,
human rights abuses committed against civilians and a deIf you have not yet taken our Amnesty International USA
facto partitioning of the country along ethno-religious lines.
action demanding that those suspected of war crimes and
As stated by Christian Mukosa, AIs CAR Researcher No
crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic
country should provide safe haven to individuals suspected
be investigated and held accountable for their crimes under
of committing or supporting war crimes and crimes against
international law, please do so today! The link for that action
humanity in CAR. They have a moral obligation to exercise
is here: http://amnestyusa.org/CARwarcrimes
universal jurisdiction over all crimes under international law,
Thank you very much for your ongoing support for the
and where allegations relate to grave breaches of the Geneva
Conventions and of Protocol I, to torture and to the crime of people of the CAR. Please follow us on twitter: @aiusa_cafenforced disappearance, they have an obligation to investigate ran and @ntbowdoin and facebook: AIUSA Central Africa
Regional Action Network and stay in touch!
and prosecute them in their domestic courts or to extradite
the suspects so they can face justice.
Postage Rates
We urge you to ensure that Djotodia does not receive immunity and is properly investigated for his role in human
Within the United States
rights abuses in the CAR. For too long, a lack of justice in
$0.34 - Postcards
$0.49 - Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.
CAR has led to a culture of impunity which has contributed
significantly to the current conflict and dire consequences for
To all international destinations
ordinary men, women and children who call CAR home.
$1.15 - Postcards
Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Most Respectfully,

$1.15 - Airmail Letters and Cards up to 1 oz.

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 4

Oregon Is One Of 26 States That Do Not Use Death Penalty

By Terrie Rodello, AIUSA Oregon State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator

Antkevyv Stock.Xchng

On December 18th, the Death Penalty Information Center

(DPIC) released its annual report on the latest developments

in capital punishment, "The Death Penalty in 2014: Year End
Report." In 2014, 35 people were executed, the fewest in 20
years. Death sentences dropped to their lowest level in the
modern era of the death penalty, with 72 people sentenced
to death, the smallest number in 40 years. Just seven states
carried out executions, and three states (Texas, Missouri, and
Florida) accounted for 80% of the executions.
The number of states carrying out executions was the lowest
in 25 years. Seven people were exonerated from death row
this year, including three men in Ohio, who were cleared of
all charges 39 years after their convictions, the longest time
among all death row exonerees. There have now been 150
people exonerated from death row since 1973. The relevancy
of the death penalty in our criminal justice system is seriously
in question when 43 out of our 50 states do not apply the ultimate sanction, said Richard Dieter, DPICs Executive Director and the author of the report. The U.S. will likely continue
with some executions in the years ahead, but the rationale for
such sporadic use is far from clear.

Jeff Ellis, Capital Resource Counsel, said, Oregon prosecutors

have been increasingly wary of seeking a death sentence and
when they do Oregon juries have been less willing to impose
a death sentence amid concerns about mental illness and disability, insufficient safeguards against executing an innocent
person, and the high cost of seeking the death penalty. In the
decade from 1995-2004 there were 19 new death sentences,
but in the most recent decade from 2005-2014, there were just
11, and only one in the past 3 years.
Regarding this new report, Frank Thompson, former Superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary said, It has
been over 17 years since Oregon executed an inmate, yet we
continue to support having a death penalty that wastes millions of taxpayer dollars annually. We now have a moratorium
on executions in Oregon and we should make that permanent
by replacing the death penalty with a better public policy and
work on the root causes of violence and murder in our culture with the savings that will be derived from that change.
Calling on Oregon to take action, Ron Steiner, Board Chair
of Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (OADP),
said, The map of the United States is changing and Oregon
is a prime example. We have a death penalty that we do not
use. We have alternatives that work to keep the public safe
and programs that truly address the causes of violent crime
and murder. We need to get rid of the very expensive death
penalty and redirect those dollars to support law enforcement,
address mental illness and provide services for murder victim
family members.

Seven organizations in Oregon are working together to end

the death penalty and replace it with life without parole:
Death sentences in Oregon declined in 2014, with only one
ACLU of Oregon, Amnesty International USA, Oregon chapnew death sentence this year. This single sentence represents a
ter, Capital Resource Center, Ecumenical Ministries of Or42% decline over the last ten years. Oregon is one of 26 states
egon, Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Oregon
that have stopped using the death penalty, in law or in pracJustice Resource Center, and Oregonians for Alternatives to
tice. 18 states do not permit the death penalty and another 8
the Death Penalty.
states have either had no executions, no new death sentences,
or neither, in the past 10 years (WY, KS, CO, NH, PA, OR,
NE and MT).

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 5

2014: A year without hope?

By Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International

Arturo Avila Stock.Xchng

Judging by the seemingly endless stories of death, suffering

and injustice we have seen in the news this year, there was
little cause to celebrate in 2014. Thousands of lives were lost
in conflicts across all corners of the globe from the Central
African Republic, to Syria, to Ukraine. Thousands of people
were executed by their own governments in countries which
have yet to abolish the death penalty. And millions of others
continued to be persecuted and discriminated against. The
situation in Nigeria has deteriorated with war crimes being
committed by both Boko Haram and the military. And in
Mexico, we have seen a terrifying 600% rise in the number
of reported cases of torture and ill-treatment. 2014 has been
a worrying year for human rights. But it would be wrong to
conclude that this was a year without hope.

arms to governments that would use them to commit atrocities. This is the first-ever legally binding treaty of its kind and
it is a true testament to the hard work and commitment of
more than one million activists who have fought for it.
Elsewhere this year a positive development came in July,
when the European Court of Human Rights issued a historic
judgment on the Polish governments complicity with the
CIAs infamous detention program running secret centers
in the country. When I visited Poland four years ago in one
of my first trips as Amnesty Internationals Secretary General, this kind of outcome was impossible to imagine, yet the
determination of activists has indeed brought us one step
closer to the truth. I hope that the latest revelations from
the US Senate report add further weight to our calls that the
full truth is disclosed, perpetrators are held accountable and
victims are given reparations, including justice.
Another significant step in the right direction came with the
European Commissions announcement that it will be opening infringement proceedings against the Czech Republic for
violating anti-discrimination legislation over segregation of
education for Roma schoolchildren. Again, this is an issue
which Amnesty Internationals activists have campaigned
hard for.
AIUSA Group 48 Contact Information

Historic successes

Good news stories dont always make the headlines in the

same way crises do, but at Amnesty International we know
that thanks to the work of the worlds huge movement of
human rights activists some historic successes have been
achieved.
In September, for example, after more than two decades of
tireless campaigning by our movement and its partners, an
international treaty to control the irresponsible flow of arms
reached its 50th ratification at the United Nations. It is estimated that roughly half a million people are killed every year
by armed violence, often as a result of state repression and
by criminal gangs. The Arms Trade Treaty will now become
international law this December, helping to block the flow of

Group Coordinator
Joanne Lau
jlau@aipdx.org

Prisoners Cases
Jane Kristof
kristofj@pdx.edu

Treasurer
Tena Hoke
tena.hoke@gmail.com

Megan Harrington
megan.harrington
@gmail.com

Newsletter Editor
Dan Webb
write_to_dan@yahoo.com

Concert Tabling
Will Ware
ww_ware@yahoo.com

Darfur (Sudan)
Marty Fromer
martyfromer@gmail.com

Central Africa/
OR State Death
Penalty Abolition
Terrie Rodello
tarodello@igc.org

Indonesia
Max White
maxw33@comcast.net

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 6

And perhaps one of the most joyous human rights victories of innovative Panic Button app transforms a users smart phone
the year was achieved in Paraguay, where the Senate passed a into a secret alarm which can be activated in the event to alert
bill which will allow the Sawhoyamaxa people full rights over their colleagues in the event of an emergency.
their land. This has been a key goal of our advocacy in recent
years and it is a triumph for an indigenous community which Along with partner NGOs, we have also taken legal action
against UK intelligence agencies, to challenge their mass comhas fought for more than two decades on the issue.
munications surveillance activities.
Speaking truth to power

Amnesty International plays a unique role in speaking truth

to power. We bring together the voices of many through powerful campaigns like Write for Rights, which topped 2 million
actions in recent weeks. When I speak to leaders about their
countrys human rights records, they know that our movement is watching them and will hold them to account on their
next move. So there is no doubt our voices are heard by decision makers around the world.
Authorities in Mozambique this year struck down a proposed
law which would have enabled rapists to escape prosecution
by marrying their victims, due to pressure from human rights
activists around the world.
Dozens of unfairly imprisoned activists were also released,
including Belarusian Ales Bialiatski, Sudanese Meriam Yehya
Ibrahim, and ngel Coln who was being held in Mexico.
Back in February I met Mexicos President to talk about the
failing human rights situation and impunity. The authorities
shameful response to the horrific disappearance of 43 students in Guerrero State in September was a sad testimony of
the government not heeding our calls early on.
Just a few weeks ago, the Philippine Senate decided to open
an inquiry into the widespread use of torture by police in
the country. A sickening and pervasive culture of impunity
has allowed torture by police to go entirely unchecked in the
Philippines. I hope the Senates announcement is a sign the
government is finally ready to take seriously its responsibility
to tackle torture head on.
We should also be proud of how we are introducing technology to the fight for human rights. Amnesty International has
worked with our partners to produce an excellent new tool
to help human rights defenders to carry out their work. The

There are then, some important successes from 2014 which

the human rights world can and should celebrate. Each success is a reminder that change is possible when people are
determined.
Brave activists and survivors

I feel especially fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet

many remarkable people this year.
From the dozens of brave women unfairly imprisoned in El
Salvador, a country that jails women who have miscarried
their pregnancies, accusing them of breaking the countrys
strict anti-abortion laws; to the generations of survivors from
the Bhopal toxic disaster in India continuing, in solidarity,
their long fight for justice and reparations. From the lawyers
working on behalf of prisoners of conscience; to the campaigners and activists pushing our legislators for change; to
the human rights defenders who are fundamental to so much
of what we do.
As the year comes to a close, we are very proud to now have
our researchers, campaigners and movement builders on the
ground in Africa and Asia-Pacific and are set to do so with
new regional offices in Latin America and the Middle East
and North Africa in 2015.
On behalf of Amnesty International, I would like to say
thank you to the millions of members, supporters, activists
and well-wishers who have given their time to our shared
cause. Together, we have sent a powerful message that justice
is possible when enough people are determined to achieve it.
Given the seemingly insurmountable scale of the problems
the world faces in the years to come, the fight against human
rights violations is more needed than ever. I am heartened,
though, by the strength and resilience of the activists we have
in our corner.

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 7

CHINA: Urgent Action - Female Activist Could Face Life Imprisonment

Su Changlan (f), Chen Dequan (m), Chen Qitong (f)

Calling on them to ensure without delay that they both

have regular, unrestricted access to their lawyers and family,
and are protected from torture and other ill-treatment.
Stephan Fleet Stock.Xchng

Detained Chinese womens rights activist Su Changlan has

been formally arrested and charged with inciting subversion which could lead to life imprisonment. It is now known
where she is being held, but she still has no access to her
lawyer or family. Her friend Chen Qitong continues to be
detained without charge in an unknown location.

The charges against Su Changlan are believed to be as a result

of posts she made online in support of the pro-democracy
protests in Hong Kong. She was questioned by police in Nanhai, Foshan, central Guangdong province, on two occasions
in September, and according to friends the police warned her
not to continue posting material about the protests. However, after making further comments about the protests on
social media, she was taken away from her home by police on
October 27th. It was not confirmed where she was being held
until her family received a notice of the charges against her
on December 3rd, which stated that she is detained at Nanhai
District Detention Center.
On November 25th, police in Nanhai detained Su Changlans
friend Chen Qitong (also known as Tian Li), who had been
providing legal assistance. She continues to be held in an unknown location, and the authorities have provided no information about any charges against her. Su Changlans husband,
Chen Dequan, was also detained at the same time, but was
later released.
Action

Please write immediately in Chinese, English or your own

language:
Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Su
Changlan, as she has been imprisoned solely for exercising
her right to freedom of expression;
Demanding that the authorities immediately disclose the
whereabouts and legal status of Chen Qitong;

Appeals To

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE JANUARY 29th 2015 TO:

Director
Jiang Kaixin
Foshan City Public Security Bureau
No. 8 Lingnan Dadaobei, Shanchengqu
Foshan City, Guangdong Province
Peoples Republic of China
Salutation: Dear Director
Director
Nanhai District Detention Center
Shishan Zhaoda Management Zone
Foshan City
Guangdong Province
Peoples Republic of China
Salutation: Dear Director
Director
Li Chunsheng
Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department
No. 97 Huanghualu
Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province
Peoples Republic of China
Email: xf@gdga.gov.cn, info@gdga.gov.cn
Salutation: Dear Director
Copies To

Ambassador Cui Tiankai

Embassy of the People's Republic of China
3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
Fax: 1 202 495 2138
Email: chinaembpress_us@mfa.gov.cn
Please let us know if you took action so that we can track
our impact! EITHER send a short email to uan@aiusa.org
with UA 275/14 in the subject line, and include in the body
of the email the number of letters and/or emails you sent, OR
fill out this short online form (press Ctrl + click on link) to let
us know how you took action. Thank you for taking action!

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015 Pg 8

Please check with the AIUSA Urgent Action Office if sending

appeals after the above date.

also had his bank cards, mobile phone and keys to his home
confiscated.

Additional information

Torture and other ill-treatment remain endemic in all places

of detention in China, and this risk is even greater for those
who are not allowed access to their family or lawyer.

Su Changlan is a well-known activist in southern China, who

has been detained several times previously due to her peaceful activities defending womens rights, on issues including
family planning and domestic violence. After she was taken
from her home by police on October 27th, her husband went
to the local police station and Foshan Public Security Bureau
office the next day to enquire about her situation but the
authorities refused to disclose her whereabouts. Officials at
the petition office at the Public Security Bureau said the family would get a response to their enquiry within 60 days. Su
Changlans family and lawyer were told by the police that she
was held at the Nanhai District Detention Center in Foshan,
but when they went there on October 31st, officers said she
was not being detained there. The authorities repeatedly refused to disclose her whereabouts or the exact charges against
her.

After being detained by police in Nanhai on November 25th,

Su Changlans husband Chen Dequan was held for 11 hours,
during which he had his thighs tied to a restraint chair. He

Approximately 100 people have been detained in mainland

China since pro-democracy protests began in Hong Kong on
September 26th, for activities such as expressing their support on social media, shaving their heads in solidarity with
the demonstrators, or planning to travel to Hong Kong to join
the protests. Thirty-eight remained in detention as of December 18th, and among them, 14 have been formally arrested.
This is part of a wider attempt by the Chinese authorities to
silence any discussion or displays of support for the events in
Hong Kong. Government censors have attempted to remove
all positive mentions of the pro-democracy protests online,
while forcing newspapers and TV stations to only use the
state-sponsored narrative of the protests. An updated list of
names and details can be found here: http://www.amnesty.
org/en/news/chinese-activists-detained-supporting-hongkong-protests-2014-11-07.

Postage

AIUSA group 48 Newsletter January 2015